Translation of a behavioral weight loss intervention for mid-life, low-income women in local health departments

Objective: To translate a behavioral weight loss intervention for mid-life, low-income women in real world settings. Design and Methods: In this pragmatic clinical trial, we randomly selected six North Carolina county health departments and trained their current staff to deliver a 16-session evidence-based behavioral weight loss intervention (special intervention, SI). SI weight loss outcomes were compared to a delayed intervention (DI) control group. Results: Of 432 women expressing interest, 189 completed baseline measures and were randomized within health departments to SI (N = 126) or DI (N = 63). At baseline, average age was 51 years, 53% were African American, mean weight was 100 kg, and BMI averaged 37 kg/m². A total of 96 (76%) SI and 55 (87%) DI participants returned for 5-month follow-up measures. The crude weight change was -3.1 kg in the SI and -0.4 kg in the DI group, for a difference of 2.8 kg (95% CI 1.4 to 4.1, p = 0.0001). Diet quality and physical activity improved significantly more in the SI group, and estimated intervention costs were $327 per participant. Conclusion: This pragmatic short-term weight loss intervention targeted to low-income mid-life women yielded meaningful weight loss when translated to the county health department setting.